Les Lavandières

They can also be found in the Celtic folklore of Iberia as Las Lavanderas in Cantabria, As lavandeiras in Galicia or Les Llavanderes in Asturias, and in Portugal are known as Bruxas lavadeiras [1].

In the nineteenth century, the belief in night washerwomen was very present in Brittany and Normandy, but it is also attested in many other regions of France: Berry, Pyrenees, Alps, Alsace, Morvan, Creuse, Burgundy and Ariège.

An important number of Romantic French authors and poets wrote about the lavandières, from Guy de Maupassant and Victor Hugo to George Sand.

The Breton washerwomen wash graveclothes, usually at night, under the moonlight, and are notable for their intense dislike of being disturbed, cursing those who dare to do so.

According to a Breton tradition, they are deceased who were buried in a dirty shroud:[4] Quen na zui kristen salver Rede goëlc'hi hou licer Didan an earc'h ag an aër.

Ken na zui kristen salver Red eo gwalc'hiñ ho liñsel Dindan an erc'h hag an aer.